Myth Apocolypse
by Umi-No-Tenshi
Summary: The post-apocolyptic scene is set with a ragtag group of teens named after Greek gods. Is there more to them than meets the eye? Only time will tell.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER I

When he was starting to physically choke on the sand and dirt whipping in his face, Apollo knew that it was high time that he and the rest of his ragtag group had to find shelter for the rest of the day. The high noon sun was relentlessly beating down on them, the cracked and corroding stretch of black asphalt before them only magnified the heat. Thankfully enough it seemed, they were only a few more minutes away from a small town called Beta. If he could trust the worn and torn paper map in his hands. Certainly right now Apollo couldn't trust his eyes, the dust that had previously been choking him had risen in front of them like a dirty haze. But sure enough, within a few more stumbling steps the blonde could just make out the outlines of building rooftops. He signaled the rest of his group with a slight hand movement and they all broke into a run. If the buildings were more or less intact then that would mean shelter. And there could also be stores which would mean food and other supplies. But he knew not to get his hopes up on one thing. Towns, buildings, and stores did not always mean that there were other people.

Then out of the dust stood a vague shape, they all warily approached it and soon were able to make out that it was a sign or at least the remnants of one. In its prime the board probably said "Welcome to Beta" in bright and pristine letters while underneath it the sign would have listed "Home of the Blahblahblah" and "Population Suchandsuch." Now it was charred with the welcome part barely legible and half of its side missing. All in all it was a boring sign for what must have been a boring village. But there was one thing that stood out and caused someone behind him to mutter a string of curses. Although the spray paint's bright red pigments had faded somewhat, a single staring eye could be made out over where the population should have been listed.

"Well…" Apollo began but trailed off as he glanced over the haggard expressions of the bunch behind him. Just as he was about to open his mouth again, a tall young man step forward with a grim expression, it was Orion. "Pro woulda started yowling a while ago if he had sniffed anything up," Orion jerked a thumb to his ever present companion, a large wolfish looking dog who currently looked like he was trying to bury his nose between his paws. The sand and wind was affecting him too and that's why Apollo was wary. Even the best dog could be mislead by this kind of weather. But the facts were that they were tired, hungry, and this was the only town within miles. And they needed to get out of this godforsaken dust storm. The leader of the group gave one more glance over the faces depending upon his decision before nodding. Orion made a noise of victory and made beeline into the town first before any of them could react. Headstrong and stupid as usual. At least he had enough sense to take the safety off his gun first.

Orion's dog Procyon, or Pro as they liked to call him, quickly followed behind. The dog was followed by Orion's other constant companion, a spectacled young man named Sirius. Sirius was completely the antithesis of Orion. Whereas Orion was muscular with broad shoulders, Sirius was a gangly waif in comparison. He was the more intellectual of the three though Procyon came close second. The dog's nose and brains had certainly saved all of their hides on more than one occasion. And then there was Artemis, Apollo's sister. Being twins, even though fraternal, they looked startlingly similar. They had the same curled hair, same sharp blue eyes, even the same gun. Though she had another equipped with a scope and was fairly good at sniping.

Suddenly a shot rang out over the howling of the wind and the startled twins rushed into the town with guns drawn and safeties off. Apollo's favorite gun, Muse, glimmered under patches of sunlight that was able to make it through the dust storm. Artemis' gun, Nymph, was steady in her hand. As soon as they stepped foot into the town they could just make out Sirius' slight figure dashing around a corner and into a convenience store. The twins picked up their pace. Soon they were right behind Sirius who had yet to take out his own gun, Howl, so the only logical assumption was that the shot had come from Orion. Probably from his favorite gun, Betelgeuse which he always carried on his shoulder or maybe his pistol Bellatrix. Orion had also named his favorite hunting knife Rigel, though in Apollo's opinion he should have named the dog Rigel. It would have been easier to remember and pronounce but that was neither here nor there.

They had a bigger problem right now like where Orion was and if there was an enemy here why was it so quiet. The wind dully whistled outside the store but other than that it was eerily silent. Procyon should have been barking up a storm by now if Orion was in trouble. It was just then that Apollo noticed that Sirius was shaking as they all quietly moved forward down the aisles step by step. He placed a firm hand on the young boy's shoulder in an effort to jolt him out of it more than to reassure. Sirius flinched but gave the blonde leader a quick nod and took the safety off of his gun.

It was just then that they made it to the back of the store where storage was only employees were allowed. As soon a Sirius reached out to the doorknob there was a rustle behind the door and the three of them jumped back and trained their guns. Suddenly the door shot open from the inside as if it was kicked only to reveal Orion. A rather pleased looking Orion at that but his smirk was quickly wiped off once he noticed his companions guns aimed at him. "Woah, woah, woah! Guy, it's just me!" he cringed. "You dumbass!" Artemis shouted and smacked him upside the head and Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. Apollo put the safety back on Muse and frustratedly ran a hand though his hair, "Damn it Orion! What the fuck was all that shooting about?" "S'cool guys, I was just breaking a lock," Orion raised his hands in defense, blocking another blow from Artemis. "I hope there was something good in there," Apollo crossed his arms. "Totally, man. Check it out," Orion rummaged through one of the many pockets of his vest to reveal a plastic wrapped surprise.

"A Twinkie? You scared us half to fucking death for a Twinkie?" Sirius groaned and rubbed his forehead while Artemis made a face of disgust. "Hey, beggars can't be choosers, man," Orion said while unwrapping the snack and taking a hearty bite out of it. The blonde young woman made a gagging noise, "I'll go scout the rest of the store," she said and with that Artemis was long gone down the other aisle. It was only just then that Procyon showed up by Orion's side and Sirius gave him a quick pet on the head. The tall young man quickly finished his yellowy dessert before motioning that Apollo and Sirius should follow him.

When they regrouped with Artemis in the center of the general store, Apollo and Orion were carrying several boxes full of imperishable snack stuffs. Sirius was smart enough to grab a crate of bottled water. Artemis also was not empty handed and carried two plastic bags. As she reached for a water bottle from Sirius, Orion asked what was curiously pressing on all of the male minds present, "What's in the bags?" "Enough 'lady accoutrements' to hopefully last me until menopause," she replied with a glare that could melt stone and Orion promptly turned bright red. Sirius quickly changed the subject and turned toward Apollo, "So, do you think we should scout around the town more? There's a possibility that there could be a bed and breakfast or something…" He trailed off and looked wistful at the thought of being able to sleep in a proper bed.

Apollo thought the question over as he placed a box on the ground and routed through the nonperishable's, trying to see if any were worth carrying and able to fit in their backpacks. He opened a bag of Cheetos, sniffed the inside, and then put it back in the box before replying, "Right now the store seems pretty secure, but we don't know for sure about the rest of the town. If the storm hasn't died down by sunset we stay in the back, there are a couple of couches in the lounge." Orion quickly spoke up while talking around another Twinkie, "And if it does clear up?" "Then we search the rest of the perimeter for supplies and shelter. We can't stay here any longer than a night," Apollo gave Orion a side long glance. It was true that with their successful finding of this store they were properly stocked with food, but what they really needed was more ammunition. A small town like this was unlikely to have such a kind of store, but maybe they could get lucky and find a small private stash. "And," Apollo continued, "No more wandering off alone. Anyone. And always keep your talkies nearby" Their leader pinned them all with a hard glare until even Orion nodded in acceptance.

For the rest of the time that they spent there they quietly filled their stomachs on an assortment of foodstuffs that would make a nutritionist cringe. But as Orion said, beggars can't be choosers. Just in time with the early setting of the sun the howling outside of the store began to die down, Apollo signaled the rest of the group. They exited the store quickly with their packs freshly laden and explored the surrounding area. Most of it wasn't worth any kind of notice, like barber shops, nail salons, and thrift stores. After a few minutes of searching the entire expanse of the small town they were fortuitously able to discover a rather small looking inn with its neon letters broken and strewn about. They cautiously entered with guns and flashlights out, night had quickly fallen and there was no electricity in the building. The group broke off into pairs, Apollo with Artemis and Orion with Sirius as they searched, each step stirring up long settled dust. They went from room to room; some were in varying states of destruction and decomposition while others only had a fine film of dust. Procyon's sneezes echoed loudly in the halls.

Just as Sirius and Orion were about to message that everything was clear, they heard a scream coming from the direction that Apollo and Artemis went in. They rushed with guns drawn and found the twins in one of the suite bathrooms. "What's wrong?" Sirius shouted, his eyes darting about behind his glasses. Then they settled on something that made him blanch. There in the scum encrusted tub was a moldering skeleton, skin long since picked clean and rotted away by time. Its jaw was slack as if screaming and in its hands was an old-fashioned toaster still plugged into the outlet. "Fuckin' shit," Orion gurgled around his hand as he tried not to dry heave.

Later that night, far on the other side of the inn, Apollo and Artemis shared a room with two separate beds while Orion and Sirius shared a bed next door. "'Pollo?" the blonde girl murmured in the dark, using an old childhood nickname for her brother. "Go to sleep Art," the young man pressed the side of his face firmly into the lumpy pillow. "And try not to think about it," he added almost as an afterthought. Artemis sighed and loudly rustled about before she rolled over in her bed, but she said no more that night.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER II

The next morning Apollo was woken to a familiar crackling sound coming from his bedside table. "Kkkkkkhk. This is Hunter to Sol. Over. Kkkkkhk" Artemis groaned into her pillow and mumbled something that sounded like, "Dumbass, waking us up this early in the morning." The noise continued, "Kkkkkkhhk. Repeat. This is Hunter to Sol and Luna. Kkkkkhk. Over. Kkkkkkhk." Apollo, finally acknowledging the noise growled into his walkie-talkie, "Are you making that static noise yourself, Orion?" "Don't know what you're talking about. Over." Then there was a pause of genuine static. "And use our codenames. Over." Orion chided their leader over the radio waves. Apollo sighed at the message and rubbed his temples. It was too early in the morning for a headache. "Hunter this is Sol. What the fuck is it?" "Kkkkhk. Say over. Over. Kkkkhk." Artemis reached and grabbed her own walkie-talkie, "Just tell us what the fuck it is you dumb-shit." Before Orion could respond a loud honking noise jolted the two out of their beds and scrambling towards the window that faced the street. Apollo's heart thudded in his chest at the recognition of that noise and the sight in the street in front of him.

From his window on the second floor Apollo could clearly make out Orion and Sirius waving at him with Procyon by their side, but the other sight made him rub his eyes just to make sure. Behind Orion was a large truck with a long and wide bed full of dogs. The truck's horn sounded again and it was only then that Apollo noticed a hand waving at them from the driver side window. "Getup ya lazy asses!" an unknown voice shouted from the truck and the horn sounded once more. Artemis and Apollo stumbled down the stairs while trying to pull their shoes back on. Once they reached the outside of the inn they were more cautious and walked as carefully and nonchalant as possible in hopes that they didn't seem surprised as they were.

Orion and Sirius walked up to the other pair, the larger of the too currently grinning his head off while Sirius looked more somber. Apollo gave Orion a look and jerked his chin towards to truck in silent question. Sirius quietly spoke up, "Say's his name is Actaeon. He has a safe house about an hour or two away-" Orion cut him off, "Did'ya see the size of his truck? And he must have at least ten dogs in the back. He's packing some sweet guns too-" Sirius jumped back into the conversation, "The point is: Can we waste an opportunity like this?" Before either Apollo or Artemis could reply the man in question jumped out of his truck. He was about the same height as Orion and was probably a few years older than them. Actaeon sported some stubble on his chin and was wearing a camouflage vest. "S'much as I like bein talked about hind my back, ya'll better make a decision fast. I gotta buncha dogs back home that gotta be fed. An' afore ya'll make that decision I gotta let'cha know I only got three spare seats. One o ya's gunna havfta sit in tha back." Actaeon paused for a second, his eyes roving over the small huddled group of teens and then grinned, "I say, tha pretty lady gets shotgun."

Apollo, momentarily thrown from his leadership role with the appearance of Actaeon, silently fumed as Artemis passed by him and hopped into the truck's front passenger seat. He could tell by the glare in her eyes that she was just putting up a strong front and was actually rather nervous about the whole thing. Orion hollered in excitement and sat in the back seat, oblivious as usual. Apollo took a seat next to him, all the while keeping his frigid eyes trained on the driver. Sirius reluctantly designated himself by process of elimination to sit in the back with Pro and the rest of the pack. As they drove off Actaeon started the uneasy conversation by introducing the names of his dogs. He had thirty six dogs all together, with twelve currently in the back bed with Sirius and Procyon. He said that sometimes it was hard to keep track of all of them but they all had names. There was Melampus, Ichnobates, Pamphagus, Dorceus, Oribasus, Nebrophonus, Theron, Laelapus, Pterelas, and many more too tedious and long to name.

Within the allotted time that he had promised, Actaeon and the group had reached the designated safe house surrounded with a barbed wire gate. Once they had gotten through the gate Actaeon got out of the car to let Sirius, Procyon, and the rest of his pack out of the truck bed. Back on steady ground, Sirius wobbled about a little and rubbed his sore backside while Procyon shook himself to get the road dust off but seemed no worse for wear. Apollo and Artemis warily approached the safe house while Orion was busy admiring the dogs. "I don't like this guy," Artemis whispered to her brother, "He's been trying to flirt with me the entire car ride." "I know," Apollo replied, "I'll keep my eye on him but for now he's all we've got." The twins quickly broke apart as Actaeon approached and opened the many locks to the door.

"Home sweet home," the man widely grinned to reveal a space that seemed more like a hunter's lounge than a safe house room. Sirius choked a little on the overpowering smell of animal hide, wet dog, and gun polish. All across the walls hung various animal heads and the main focal point in the center wall was a stag head with large antlers. Then up from what was presumably the lower level rushed a mass of dogs, the remaining twenty four, all slobbering and tripping over each other in excitement. "Alright. Alright ya little bastards. I gots yer kibble," Actaeon began to fill a low trough in the corner of the room full of dry dog food. He seemed genuinely amused as mangy wolfish dogs of all sizes snarled and shoved each other to get the first bite. Procyon was luckily not caught up in the mess by the staying hand of Orion.

It was early in the night when the group had their own dinner of water and dried meat jerky. During the meal Actaeon had mentioned that he had clean running water and a well stocked collection of ammunition. "If ya want ta stay for a time ya'll won't be a burden," he addressed the group but his eyes seemed to continuously be on Artemis. Orion nodded in enthusiasm, but Apollo was more reserved and withheld his opinion on the matter. It was a little too fortuitous that just when they needed help and supplies, this man showed up. And he most certainly didn't like the way Actaeon was looking at his sister.

Later that same night after everyone had gone to bed, Apollo woke to the familiar and startling sound of a gun going off. When the sound of a second shot reverberated through his ears again he knew that it wasn't a dream. His heart thudded in his ears as saw Orion tear down a corner and Sirius, without his glasses, stumble out of his adjacent room. The multitudes of dogs were howling, and the young men repeatedly tripped over their bodies as they ran through the dark halls. One thing kept repeating in Apollo's mind. Artemis. Where was Artemis?

Then the three of them reached the small bathroom where the shot had come from. The first thing that Apollo noticed wasn't the blood as he slipped on the tiled floor or the gap mouthed body of Actaeon lying on the floor, but his sister cowering naked in a corner of the shower. His vision turned red. "That sonuva bitch!" Apollo pulled up Actaeon's body by this shirt collar and began to throw punches at his face. He didn't care that the body was limp in his grasp or that Sirius was shouting at him, trying to tear him away. Noises began to filter through to his mind: sound of a gun clattering to the floor, Artemis weeping, and then Sirius' words formed coherency. "Apollo! Apollo he's dead! He's dead, stop it!" Sirius tried once more to pry the enraged boy away from the corpse. Finally spent, Apollo sat down and numbly looked at his bruised knuckles and then looked over at Artemis. At some point Orion put a towel around her and she was currently clinging to his neck with her face buried in his chest. Apollo was filled with rage again but this time it was directed at himself. He should have known. He should have said something. He should be the one comforting Artemis right now. He should be the one holding her. As if she knew he was thinking about her, Artemis looked up at her brother, "H-he…he…" The girl couldn't even get the words out before she started to shake and sob once more in Orion's arms. "What should we do with it?" Sirius asked as he gently toed the bloody corpse that had two point blank shots into its chest. "Feed 'im to his dogs," Orion growled out over the top of Artemis' blonde head, his eyes full of fire.


End file.
